Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (2005), Edition: First Edition, 288 pages
Description
Emma was one of England's most remarkable queens- a formidable woman who made her mark on a Europe beset by Vikings. By birth a Norman, she married and outlived two kings of England and witnessed the coronations of two of her sons- Harthcnut the Viking and Edward the Confessor. She became an unscrupulous political player and was diversely regarded as a generous Christian patron, the admired co-regent of the nation, and a ruthlessly Machiavellian mother. She was, above all, a survivor- her life was punctuated by dramatic falls, all of which she overcame. Her story is one of power, politics, love, greed and scandal in an England caught between the Dark Ages and the Norman invasion of 1066.
User reviews
LibraryThing member AmyMacEvilly
This is a book I've been wanting to read for a while. It covers the period of English history that intrigues me the most -- the period of the Danelaw and after -- and the people who intrigue me the most: Æðelræð, Emma/Ælfgifu (so many Ælfgifus!), Knútr, and Edward. This is the pivotal period
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where the conditions for the shift to Norman rule (just another foreign rule) are created. I am most interested in the creation of identities and multilingualism of the period. The author does a good job of teasing out a narrative from the limited documentary sources, but the book is flawed by gaffes that a non-medievalist would make, and she's got a real fixation on the limited/non-literacy of the period. Medievalists think about that differently now: there are many different literacies and strategies. Show Less
LibraryThing member EowynA
The queen at the center of this book does not speak in her own words, only by her sometimes briefly noted actions. She was the Norman wife and Queen of King Aethelred the Unready. After his death, she married Cnut, who was the next ruler of most of England. Her sons by Aethelred, Edward and Alfred,
The book itself relies on what primary sources there are, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and fills in with descriptions of the life and culture, as well as the politics, of the time. It is not riveting, but it is interesting, and I now understand more about the events leading up to the Norman Invasion, and the close ties between the participants.
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and daughter Godgifu, were raised in Normandy. Her son by Cnut, Harthacnut, and daughter Gunnhild, lived most of his life in Denmark. The time leading up to the Norman invasion was a time of turmoil, and she managed to be Queen for two key reigns. Eventually, both Harthacnut and Edward become king in turn, during her lifetime. She lived in interesting times, indeed.The book itself relies on what primary sources there are, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and fills in with descriptions of the life and culture, as well as the politics, of the time. It is not riveting, but it is interesting, and I now understand more about the events leading up to the Norman Invasion, and the close ties between the participants.
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LibraryThing member Meggo
An ambitious project, to write a biography of this early medieval queen, that is hamstrung somewhat by the paucity of source material. However it is well researched based on the material that does exist, and provides a glimpse into a fascinating - and formative - period in English history.
LibraryThing member john257hopper
Although for much of the book, Emma does not feature in the foreground due to the paucity of records, this provides a fascinating account of national and international politics in the first half of the 11th century; more of a "The Times of Queen Emma" approach, than a biography as such. It is
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amazing to think that twice in half a century England was conqered and much of its ruling class replaced by foreigners, first Danes, then Normans and Emma was near the heart of both these centres of power. Show Less
LibraryThing member careburpee
Quick Version
A history of Emma, Norman wife of two kings of England (one Anglo-Saxon and one Dane), mother of two kings of England, and great-aunt of William the Conqueror.
Long Version
Emma is every historian’s dream subject. Born into a position destined to make her a pawn in the power plays of
Despite a length of less than three hundred pages, this book does an excellent job telling not only Emma’s story, but the tale of the time in which she lived. This is a period of English history full of shifting politics and cultures. Alfred the Great had ruled shortly before, the apex of Anglo-Saxon England. Emma’s first husband, the inept Aethelred led to its ruin. Cnut the Dane conquered England and in a stunning move married the popular and recently widowed Queen Emma. Following his demise, Emma held on long enough to put not just one, but two sons, one by Aethelred and one by Cnut, on to England’s throne.
In addition to the machinations of politics, Harriet O’Brien paints a vivid picture of life at all levels of society during Emma’s lifespan, interspersing her portrait with useful tidbits such as which food items would not have been seen and when they were first cultivated in England. I finally learned the difference between mead and ale!
I highly recommend this history to readers of Helen Hollick’s historical fiction, [B]The Forever Queen[/B] and its recently released sequel [B]I am the Chosen King[/B]. It also stands on its own as a wonderfully readable account of the life and times of a woman too often overlooked in the annals of history.
A history of Emma, Norman wife of two kings of England (one Anglo-Saxon and one Dane), mother of two kings of England, and great-aunt of William the Conqueror.
Long Version
Emma is every historian’s dream subject. Born into a position destined to make her a pawn in the power plays of
Show More
the highest nobility, Emma had the intelligence and the cunning to rise to eminence in a world where women were undereducated and disregarded.Despite a length of less than three hundred pages, this book does an excellent job telling not only Emma’s story, but the tale of the time in which she lived. This is a period of English history full of shifting politics and cultures. Alfred the Great had ruled shortly before, the apex of Anglo-Saxon England. Emma’s first husband, the inept Aethelred led to its ruin. Cnut the Dane conquered England and in a stunning move married the popular and recently widowed Queen Emma. Following his demise, Emma held on long enough to put not just one, but two sons, one by Aethelred and one by Cnut, on to England’s throne.
In addition to the machinations of politics, Harriet O’Brien paints a vivid picture of life at all levels of society during Emma’s lifespan, interspersing her portrait with useful tidbits such as which food items would not have been seen and when they were first cultivated in England. I finally learned the difference between mead and ale!
I highly recommend this history to readers of Helen Hollick’s historical fiction, [B]The Forever Queen[/B] and its recently released sequel [B]I am the Chosen King[/B]. It also stands on its own as a wonderfully readable account of the life and times of a woman too often overlooked in the annals of history.
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
I wish this had been a better book. It could have been so, if the author had reinforced his trot through what we learned from William of Malmesbury and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle with a good deal more about the role of regal women in the English society of the time, and contrasted that with the
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roles in Norse society of the time. There's also a good deal of good guy-bad guy dichotomy that jars on me. I think i could have done better than this. Show Less
LibraryThing member a1stitcher
What a life! Well written and interesting subject matter, makes a pretty good book.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
9.55 inches
ISBN
0747574898 / 9780747574897
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